From Texas to Utah

After flying out to Texas to pick up a new Nomad, I had a late start, leaving El Paso at around 4:30pm. My good friend, Ken Whetstone, rode out to the area and we decided to meet up in Lordsburg, NM.



The next day we took off, heading toward The Coronado Trail (U.S. 191, formerly known as U.S. 666 or The Devil's Highway). On our way there we stopped in Clifton for some breakfast. While in Clifton, we got the inside scoop from our waitress on what to check out while there. The train, jail, shovel, and down town arches.





The roads started to twist shortly after leaving Clifton. The Trail took us through the two million-acre Apache Sitgreaves National Forests. Just before we entered the forest, we stopped and looked over the edge of the Phelps Dodge Copper Mine. And again, a ways later, we stopped at Blue Vista. This viewpoint/rest stop offers a great photographic opportunity. While at Blue Vista, Ken spotted some random roses on the edge of a cliff? Must have been "lovers leap".




Continue down the road and you run into Hannagan Meadows lodge and a small country store. We stopped for a brief moment and then continued on our journey. While stopped we both mentioned how it would be an ideal location to host a rally.


We stopped in Alpine and picked up an "I survived the Devil's Highway" patch and then continued to where we would be staying for the night, Pinetop, AZ. Check out my awesome, homemade dinner!


Because of family circumstances I left a few days earlier than Ken. I had a 600+ mile trip home and the weatherman was predicting rain in the afternoon, so I left early. It was dark, and there was even ice on my seat. I never knew it could be so cold in AZ. On my way out of Pinetop I got my kicks on route 66.




After Route 66 I rode through a couple hundred miles of Indian reservations. Once I got to Monticello, all the rest of the roads home were familiar.




Ken told me about this monument made out of blocks in Green River. I had seen pictures of it and it seemed intriguing. Here is the story behind the whole thing.


My last stop before driving into my driveway was on Soldier Summit. This road is the most dangerous road in all of Utah. 13% of all Utah automobile accidents happen here!



This trip was great! I wish I would have had a few more days to explore Arizona, but I guess that will have to wait until another day. The highlight of this trip was definitely the Coronado Trail. I would rank that road as one of the best in the country for motorcycling.

Jared M. Gant